The Twelve Days of Rowling
by PJHope
Summary: J.K. Rowling is giving us some new info over the next twelve days and I will be writing a one-shot based on each of these new writings as they are delivered to us. As I am not sure what exactly her new stories will be about, this will be quick fiction, just me quickly delving into whatever it is she decides to share with us. I'll be updating the characters with each new chapter.
1. Out of Place

_So these are just random one-shots inspired by the new info that J.K. is putting out for Christmas. I wanted to publish something new and this seemed like a good excuse! This one is inspired by her first new writing of the season about Cokeworth. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Out of Place**

**Lily**

"Ugh, Merlin!" Sirius Black said with disgust, though his expression was that of pure amusement. Severus had just boarded the train, and it was obvious he had dressed in a hurry. His billowy top was more gray than white and the lace of his trousers was uneven and untied, jutting out from the blouse awkwardly. Lily blushed slightly at his appearance, but only because in his eagerness to be near her, he lifted his arm in a wave, exposing the top of his trousers and a pale white spans of stomach to the tittering onlookers.

"Lily, hi!" he beamed, and Lily, wanting to be rid of those arrogant toerags that were Potter and Black, grabbed Severus' hand and pulled him down the corridor into the first empty carriage.

Once they were safe inside Lily let go of his hand and rounded on him, somewhat flustered. He was not looking at her, but down at the hand she had just relinquished.

"Alright?" she snapped. Lily was not angry with Severus. He was just so, earnest. So earnest and so awkward. She really did hope he grew into his tallness and his nose, and filled in those billowy clothes, if nothing so they would just leave him alone already.

But what did it matter to her? Severus was her mate, no matter what other people said about him.

"Hey," he finally said breathlessly, settling down in the seat across from her and pushing his long hair back from his face to tuck behind large, jutting ears. She had once asked why he didn't cut his hair, but after seeing what it was hiding Lily never asked again.

Lily did not have a real chance to miss Severus. They had spent all summer together, investigating treacherous businessmen involved in dangerous schemes of their own invention, exploring the sewers below town, jumping roofs and watching stars. Lily would never tell him, but it had been the best summer yet. And now they were going into their fourth year and Lily was excited for the classes they would be taking. She was pleased that Severus allowed her to carry on about their new subjects and the things she'd read in the books. He never once seemed bored or distracted but simply smiled and nodded at her musings.

An hour or so into their journey, the door to their compartment opened. She glanced up to see those silly boys, the "Marauders", grinning down at her.

"Mind if we slip in here with you two?" Remus Lupin asked, though he did not seem hopeful.

"Get out of it, Lupin," Lily said before Severus could respond. She glanced at him hastily to see his skin was pink and had a fine sheen of sweat covering everywhere that was visible. "You aren't welcome."

Lupin nodded and turned, pushing lightly on Potter and Pettigrew's shoulders, as if to guide them away. James Potter only jerked his arm away and sidled into the compartment.

"What do you have against Remus, Evans?" he asked her, affecting an arrogant smirk and ducking his head to bore into her with those blue eyes.

Lily straightened up. "As a matter of fact, the only thing I have against Lupin is his choice of friends. You know why I don't want you sitting in here so you better just move along, Potter."

James leaned back and looked towards Severus.

"You put her up to this Snivellus? Typical Slytherin, getting a girl to fight your battles." Before James could even finish his sentence Severus was standing, his wand at the ready in an outstretched, though shaky, hand.

"I can fight them fine on my own, Potter. Want to have a go?" he jeered and Lily felt uncomfortable. Severus could be so happy, so carefree. But when he spoke of James Potter or any of his cronies, the malice that oozed into Severus' voice was enough to make her skin crawl.

"Stop it, both of you," she commanded, standing up and wedging herself in between the two of them.

James made a mockingly disgusted face. "Ugh, Evans! How can you stand to be so close to him?! Isn't it obvious he hasn't seen a shower in weeks? I mean, look at those clothes! When's the last time they were washed? But then again," James said with a wicked grin, "I've heard you live in a sort of hovel, don't you? Some broken down old town with no running water, surrounded by the poor and the derelict. Is that right? How does your family even afford tuition, living in a slum like that?"

Lily felt fury run through her veins as Potter, Black and Pettigrew all laughed. Before she realized it, her own wand was out, and not only was it pointed at James, but it was digging into his chest.

"Oi!" James shouted, trying to back up, but the compartment was too crowded and he was stuck between her and the doorframe.

"I'll have you know, you arrogant waste of breath," she growled, "that Severus and I live in the same town. You could even say we are neighbors. So anything you say about him, or his family, or where they live, you are saying about me. And you lot might have been given a final warning from the Headmaster for fighting, but my record is clean. Just give me a reason. I dare you."

Lily heard a sizzling sound and looked down to see that her wand had burned a hole in James' shirt.

"Woah, woah now!" Remus Lupin said, wedging himself into the compartment door and putting an arm out to separate the two of them. Lily glared at him mutinously.

"Like you said, Evans," Remus said rationally, "your record is clean. Don't ruin it over something stupid. Apologize," he added, turning to look at James.

James was frowning, looking both concerned and somewhat disappointed. Then, as if nothing happened, he slapped a wide grin on his face. "Yeah, c'mon now Evans, I didn't mean anything by it! Cokeworth is lovely, isn't it boys?"

Sirius nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, top notch living quarters," he said, giving Lily a thumbs up before moving swiftly down the hall away from the tense scene.

"No harm done, yes?" Lupin said and Lily jerked her head in agreement before sparing another glance for Severus. His face was blotchy and his eyes were red and glassy. It was clear he was holding back a fury she could never match.

She watched as Lupin steered Peter Pettigrew back out into the hall and waited for James. He gave her another smile, this one a little shier and backed out of the compartment.

"Take care, Evans," he said, sounding almost genuine before running it with a rude hand gesture directed at Severus and following his friends down the hall.

Lily slammed the compartment door and pulled the blind before turning to assess Severus. He was hastily wiping his eyes as he looked pointedly out the window.

"They are the absolute worst people at Hogwarts, ay?" she said, plopping back down across from him. He did not answer.

"I mean, what was all that nonsense, is Lupin some sort of bodyguard now? I swear, if he hadn't been there I wouldn't ruined that little-"

"Forget it," Severus cut in, still staring out the window. Lily watched as his breath fogged up the glass ever so slightly with every exhale.

"Sorry, what? If you think I'm going to lie down for those bullies-"

"Just leave it!" Severus snapped and Lily jerked back in surprise. They sat in silence for a moment before Severus sighed and looked at her. When he next spoke his voice was calmer and more measured. "Lupin is right. It's not worth you getting into trouble. It's between me and them."

"Oh, four on one is ok, is it?!" she countered, feeling exasperated with the lot of them. "It's ok for that arse to stand there and make accusations about my friend and his family because I have a clean record? I don't think so!" Severus didn't look at her but she could swear his mouth turned up in a smile.

"But they are right, aren't they?" he finally said. "We come from nothing. Cokeworth is shit Lily and you know it."

Lily sighed and leaned in towards him. "So what? That isn't who we are. Those gits would love to have the adventures we do. I wouldn't ever trade where we live if it meant giving that all up."

They stared at each other for a while in silence. Lily watched as Severus' skin returned to its normal pale pallor. Finally, he wiped his hands on his dingy trousers and said, "I would. I hate it there. We could have those adventures somewhere else. I just want to be rid of it."

Without thinking Lily reached out and took Severus' hand. It broke her heart, knowing what he went home to every night after their days of exploration and delight. "I know. And we will. We can go anywhere, after school."

Severus blinked at her for a moment. "You mean it?"

Lily laughed and let go of his clammy hand before leaning back in her seat. "Of course! Four more years and the world is our oyster! We can travel the world, see everything there is, and then pick the best place ever. Even if it's just London!"

Severus looked speechless. Lily would've laughed if he didn't look so bloody earnest.

"When you say _we_, you mean…together?" he asked cautiously.

Lily furrowed her brow. "Well, yeah! Our big adventure! You and me, together!" she said, giving him a warm smile which he eventually returned.

"Yeah," he stammered, looking out of the window again. "Together."

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_Tomorrow I'll be posting two stories: one about Florean Fortesque and one about the Leaky Cauldron! Stay tuned!_


	2. Of Untold Secrets and Ice Cream

_I feel like I could write an entire short story based on Harry's time visiting with Florean Fortesque, and maybe I will. But here's a quick glance at how I think it could've gone. _

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**Of Untold Secrets and Ice Cream**

**Harry**

Since Harry would be residing on Diagon Alley until further notice, he decided to make the best of it. He took the large bag of gold the Minister had retrieved from Harry's vault and journeyed out into what was truly a beautifully sunny day. A block down from the Leaky Cauldron he stopped and tried to suppress a grin, but failed. Florean Fortesque's Ice cream parlour had some of the most delicious ice creams that Harry had every tried. He'd been here just the once with the Weasleys and the Grangers last year and had had dreams about returning ever since.

Even Fortesque's shop looked delicious. The roof was a pale pink color with a scalloped lattice painted in dark brown trim, as if the roof was dipped in chocolate. The exterior was mint green with more chocolate-coloured paint swirling around round windows that looked to have panes of rose- coloured sugar instead of glass. The foundation, and the frames of the windows and doors were all made out of a rough substance the colour of gingerbread. If Harry wasn't worried about possibly ingesting concrete he would've reached out and tried to take a bite, it all looked so delectable.

Harry entered the shop and scanned around, taking it all in. The front room was small, probably as small as his bedroom back home. One could simply stay in one place and turn in a circle to see everything. Beside the door was a narrow staircase that led up to an open area with tables and chairs. Below this there were shelves everywhere, all holding jars of sweets or stacks of chocolate bars-muggle and wizarding alike. At the base of these shelves were glass cases that also ran around the circumference of the room. Inside each case were no less than 12 flavours of ice creams, in colours and combinations Harry never could've thought possible.

"Is that Mr. Potter?" a man asked, coming out into the shop through a swinging saloon-style door. Harry recognized him, both from Harry's previous one other visit and from the ads in the Daily Prophet.

"Mr. Fortesque, hello," he said politely. He did not mind this wizard recognizing him. Mr. Fortesque did not say Harry's name with awe or fascination the way some others did, but as if he were greeting an old friend. Also, he made ice creams, and that made him alright by Harry.

Mr. Fortesque reminded Harry of a younger, thinner Father Christmas. His hair was white and combed back against his head in a complicated looking style that left a big tuft of white sticking up in the front. He wore a bright blue wizarding suit, the kind with trousers and long, swinging, coattails. His shirt was the colour of sherbet and his suspenders, bow tie and kerchief, were chocolate brown. As he came closer Harry smiled. The man had such a friendly face, like Mr. Weasley. Though it was heavily lined, all of his wrinkles around his eyes and mouth told the story of a lifetime of smiles.

"Call me Florean, if you don't mind," he said in a smooth, warm voice like hot caramel.

Harry nodded and Florean clapped his hands together once, "Now!" he said, a bit louder, "What can I get for you?"

Harry stared around at the cases overwhelmed. "Um, small chocolate cone, please?" He hadn't meant for it to be a question but the glint in the older man's eye told him that he had said quite the wrong thing.

"Chocolate? Chocolate?! Well, son, that narrows it down to about 22 flavours. Let's see, let's see." Florean moved quickly around behind the glass cases, peering into each one.

"We've got chocolate-peppermint stick, chocolate-covered banana, chocolate and hazelnut crème, chocolate raspberry, white chocolate with fudge bits, chocolate nougat, chocolate with brandied pears…" he trailed off, grinning at Harry's wide-eyed, open-mouth reaction.

"I…um, well, those all sound good!" he finally said.

Florean barked a laugh and hopped the glass case he was standing behind, then clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Well then, we best get started," he said cheerily, steering Harry out onto the road again and seating him at a table under the chocolate awning.

"You wait here, I'll bring you something grand!"

Harry smiled goofily. He thought maybe it was silly to be so excited about ice creams, but he had never truly had anything like this before last year. Occasionally, his aunt and uncle would buy him a lemon ice to keep up appearances when they were out and Dudley demanded sweets, but he'd never gotten to choose for himself, and certainly never got to go out alone and have ice cream for lunch!

Harry pulled out his History of Magic textbook and was just about to flip to the chapter on witch-hunts when Mr. Fortesque returned with a magnificent looking cone.

It was the colour of brown sugar and had edges dipped in chocolate. No less than four scoops of ice cream sat nestled within the cone and they were all drizzled with chocolate sauce and dotted with bits of fresh fruit.

"Thought I'd start you out with something healthy!" the man joked, placing the cone on the table by its tip. Harry reached out frantically to grab it before it fell, but no matter, as the cone sat perfectly straight with no threat of tipping. "Let's see," Florean said, appraising his handiwork, "we've got all the fruit flavours in the this one; banana on the bottom, strawberry and raspberry in the middle and pears on the top!"

Harry gaped at the cone for a moment before looking up at the smiling man. "It's brilliant! Thank you, sir! Um, how much do I owe you?"

Florean waved him off as if he'd asked a ridiculous question. "Your money is no good here, Mr. Potter. Just enjoy it! Ah, what have you got there?" he asked, pulling out the chair opposite to Harry and taking a seat.

Harry, whose mouth was already full of icy cold, sugary sweetness, glanced at the book Florean was pointing to.

"Hist'ry a' magk," he mumbled.

Florean reached over and picked up the book. He looked at it fondly, as if it was a friend of his.

"Old Batty, boy isn't she something? Knows more about the Wizarding world than some libraries! But of course, she lived through so much of it."

Harry swallowed hard. "Do you know Bathilda Bagshot?"

Mr. Fortesque nodded, looking reminiscent. "Aye, when I was a young boy she would come in and get mulberry sherbet sprinkled with whizbees. Then she'd sit and trade fantastical tales with my father. I could hardly believe it was truth, the things they said! And yet, once I was a bit older and a bit more studious, I read those same things in texts. Much more boring they were, written down as dates and places and people."

Harry glanced guiltily at his History of Magic textbook, thinking there hadn't been a time in his history at Hogwarts that he hadn't fallen asleep reading that book.

"Like what?" Harry finally said, savoring a particularly juicy raspberry that just exploded in his mouth.

Florean leaned back in his chair and looked out on the gorgeously sunny alley. "Oh you know, they would swap tales of their houses. Bathilda would give us accounts of how Gryffindor battled throngs of bloodthirsty goblins with nothing but his famous sword. And my father, who is from a long line of Ravenclaws, told her about how Rowena herself had freed a group of slaves in Egypt by tricking a sphinx using her…" but he trailed off, blinking into the sun.

"Yes?" Harry asked, having been quite curious about how Rowena Ravenclaw might've tricked a sphinx.

"Ah, Ollivander!" Florean called, standing up and walking over to meet a thin, slightly bent, and anciently old man that Harry recognized at once. "I thought that was you! Bit of a glare out today, not that I'm complaining. Hang on a tick, I've already packed it!"

Harry watched as Mr. Fortesque ran into the ice cream parlour and then turned back to looked at Mr. Ollivander.

"Good afternoon, sir," he said politely, since the man was already appraising him uncomfortably.

"Indeed, Mr. Potter, indeed. Enjoying your visit I hope?" the man said, his voice gravelly and low.

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir. Mr. Fortesque was just telling me about Rowena Ravenclaw."

Ollivander laughed. "Yes, Florean certainly does know many tales, passed down to him through generations. And yet," the man continued, bending down to speak even lower, "his tales are mixed with myth and legend. Take them with a grain of salt, eh?"

Harry furrowed his brow, but nodded. Just then Mr. Fortesque came bounding back out into the street, carrying two large containers of ice cream.

"There you are my dear man," he said, holding the ice cream out to Ollivander. "One sugared violet, and one chocolate digestive."

Ollivander grinned and took something from inside his jacket. "Excellent," he said, handing over the package. "A fairer trade I've never done!"

Florean took the long box happily and the shook Ollivander's hand. "Indeed, my dear Ollivander! Take care now, and enjoy!"

They waved each other away and Florean returned to Harry's table. "Had a bit of an accident yesterday, but Ollivander sorted it for me! Blimey!" Mr. Fortesque opened the box to reveal a gleaming new wand. It was very dark wood and poker straight.

"You got a new wand?" Harry asked, watching as Florean carefully removed it from its packaging and held it out into the street. It sparked happily.

"Aye, I dropped my wand into a vat of treacle yesterday. I couldn't get it out and by the time I got my wife's wand it had already been grinded up in the mix. Waste of a perfectly good pot of treacle," he said regretfully, as if he was more upset about the loss of the treacle than his wand. "But, blimey, I haven't had a new wand in…fifty years! Don't remember them looking all nice and polished!"

Harry smiled, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "My friend Ron got a new wand last year. His first was a hand-me-down."

Florean shook his head. "Well, you know what Ollivander says, 'The wand chooses the wizard!' though who knows if that's true, with the lot of claptrap that man comes out with!"

Harry snorted, then felt himself flush. When he looked up he saw Florean giving him a curious look.

"Um…" Harry started and then Florean laughed. "He said the same about me, didn't he?"

Harry nodded and was pleased that Florean still looked amused.

"Oh, we differ on the truth alright. I told him I wanted an unbreakable wand this time around and he says, 'There's only one unbreakable wand, Florean, but I'd advise against you seeking it', all ominous-like. I just don't want to boil this one down to dust, yeh know?"

Harry was looking perplexed. "What did he mean though? What's the unbreakable wand made from?" Harry's mind immediately went to something besides wood. Maybe you could get a wand made of steel?

"Oh, it's just a legend, he was taking the mickey. But they it says in the saying, that sort of wand is bad luck. A lot of nonsense if you ask me."

"What saying?" Harry asked, thinking that all of this was much more interesting that witch hunts.

Florean blinked at him. "You've never heard the saying? It's goes something like…_Wand of_...ah bugger!"

Mr. Fortesque trailed off as they heard a shout from inside the ice cream parlour.

"Where the ruddy hell have you gone off to!" an angry woman was shouting from within. Florean shot to his feet quickly, looking harried. Before he went inside he turned to Harry and said solemnly, "If I teach you nothing else Mr. Potter, heed these words; never marry a red head. There's a saying for you '_Hair of red, wish you were_…yeah, yeah I'm coming!" he shouted at the shop when the woman called for him again.

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_Felt like I had to stop it somewhere! Next up is a glimpse at the Leaky Cauldron. Hopefully you are reading all of Ms. Rowling's new stuff, as this is what these stories are inspired by. _


	3. Iron and Pewter

_These might end up being a little out of sync since JK is posting more than one snippet of information each day. Seeing as today's topics were cauldrons and potions I couldn't not write a story from the POV of Severus Snape. _

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**Iron and Pewter**

**Severus**

Severus and Lily found a seat at the front of the classroom. Having had Care of Magical Creatures together the period before, they walked back from the grounds together to their first Potions class at Hogwarts. Maybe Lily was right; it wouldn't be so bad, them being in different houses. It turned out that Slytherin and Gyffindor students shared several classes together. It was going to be fine.

Severus and Lily piled all of their potions supplies on the desk, eager to begin. Severus noticed with some embarrassment that all of Lily's things were brand new, while almost the entirety of his potion kit was from his mother's personal supply. The most noticeable difference was their cauldrons. Lily's, a standard size 2 pewter, was shiny, dark grey and perfectly round. Its handles were both intact and not a spot of rust could be found. Severus', on the other hand, was made of iron and while it was perfectly functional, the entire bottom was orange with rust and one of the handles was disfigured from so many years of hard use. It practically screamed of poverty.

Lily bounced nervously on her stool and Severus couldn't help but grin at her excitement. His staring was interrupted as Professor Slughorn, his Head of House came sidling down the center aisle to the front of the class.

"Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts!" Slughorn beamed, looking around at each of them with his hands tucked into the pockets of a rather tight-fitting waistcoat. When his gaze got to Severus he stopped. Severus leaned back from his desk, feeling awkward.

"Might I ask your name, son?"

"Severus, sir. Severus Snape," he replied, trying to ignore a few snickers from the back of the class. He could swear he also heard someone mutter "Snivellus", but ignored them.

Professor Slughorn furrowed his brow. "Ah, I see. You remind me of a former student, a woman named Eileen Prince. Any relation?"

Again there were more chuckles at the mention of him resembling a woman and Severus pushed his long hair forward a bit to cover his face, but there was no hiding that he was now blushing full-on.

"Yes, sir. She's my mother."

Slughorn beamed at him and then glanced down at the old, rusted, hand-me-down cauldron. "But of course!" Slughorn boomed jovially, tapping the metal. "I'd remember this old thing anywhere! Your mother, she insisted iron was a much more successful conductor than pewter. She was correct of course, but trying to convince parents to invest in an iron cauldron for a first year is a little unreasonable. All the same, I'm glad it's survived the years!" Slughorn gave him a wink before beginning their lesson for the day.

It had been easy enough, a simple overview of the most common potion ingredients, their properties, uses and where to find them. By the end of it, Severus was pleased to find that he and Lily had earned about 20 points each for their respective houses. With every correct answer the other Slytherins seemed to become happier that Severus was in their house, instead of chuckling at his appearance, or his company.

After what Severus thought had been a very satisfying hour of Potions, the bell rang and everyone began to pack up their things. Just as he and Lily turned to leave Professor Slughorn called out to them.

"Evans, Snape, a moment?"

They shared a nervous glance before turning back towards the front of the room and approaching Slughorn's desk.

"Yes, Professor?" said Lily.

Slughorn leaned back in his chair, which made a groaning sound under his weight. "I run a bit of a social club. Extracurricular, and by invitation only. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month. I'd like to invite you two to come along."

Severus turned to look at Lily, who appeared to be as surprised by this invitation as he was, then turned back to Slughorn. "Thank you, sir. We'd love to."

"We?" Lily repeated, and he looked over at her again.

"Well, yeah, why not?"

Lily rolled her eyes and then looked at Slughorn. "I'd be happy to attend, sir. Thank you."

"Well isn't that what I just said?!" he blurted out and Slughorn chuckled as Lily ruffled his hair before exiting the classroom without him.

When Severus turned back to his potions Professor the man said, "She doesn't seem like the type to have someone answer for her."

"I wasn't-" he began to protest but Slughorn held up a hand.

"It's no matter, son. Women are a tricky business. I prefer to stick to potions. They have recipes, guidelines. As long as you follow the instructions you'll never get in trouble!"

"Yes, sir," Severus said, unsure of what exactly Slughorn was talking about. "I will see you Friday, sir. Thanks again." He made to leave once more but again he was stopped.

"Leave that cauldron of yours here," Slughorn called.

Severus turned back and placed his cauldron on the desk. "Sir?"

Professor Slughorn was appraising the old lump of metal, caressing it gently. "I'll fix it up for you. It is a rather special tool. You are lucky your mother was willing to part with it. Still, one must keep up appearances. I think you'll carry it with a little more pride if it looked nice and new like Miss Evans', no?"

Severus did not speak but inclined his head slightly.

Slughorn clapped his hands together with some finality. "Very good! Well then, Mr. Snape. I look forward to seeing you and Miss Evans at the Slug Club. Enjoy your lunch!"

With that Severus turned and made his way out of what was sure to be his favorite class of the year.

* * *

_I still have a one-shot about the Leaky Cauldron in the works. I'll be posting it tomorrow. _

_Thanks for reading!_


	4. A New Era

**A New Era**

**Hannah**

Hannah looked around the pub frantically, inspecting it from top to bottom. She and her well-meaning, but small, staff had spent the last two days scouring and scrubbing the pub and all unoccupied rooms. Hannah herself had spruced up one of the rooms in particular, adding a fresh down bedspread and a full stack of wood to the fireplace. She was just thinking it might be good to polish some of the silverware when he entered from the wizarding side of the pub.

Tom was as stooped and toothless as ever but gave her a wide, lopsided smile. "Ah, Hannah m'dear!" he beamed, holding out his arms to her.

Hannah felt the urge to bowl him over. She was still so relieved he had made a full recovery in his condition. Instead, she embraced him delicately and gave his back a little squeeze.

"Oi!" Tom joked, pulling away and squeezing his shoulders together. "You're gonna send me back to Mungos! Don't need to do that again!"

"Sorry! Oh, I'm sorry! Here, come sit," she fretted, directing him to a table in the center of the room.

Tom glanced at her sideways. "Is the study upstairs open?"

Hannah nodded, taking two cups of tea from Samantha, who was currently behind the bar.

"Right then, let's go. We've got some business to attend to in private, I think," Tom said, patting his coat pocket significantly.

Hannah waited until Tom turned and began climbing the stairs to take a slow, deep, breath. This was it. She knew once she decided there was no going back.

The study, or as some had taken to calling it, "the DA common room", was a small, somewhat sparse lounge at the end of a narrow hallway. It held two leather sofas that were placed on either side of a fireplace, a long low table and several shelves of books. By the windows facing out onto Diagon Alley there were several mismatched chairs and a few tiny tables between them cluttered with half-melted candles. Also situated by the window was an enormous birdcage, which was currently empty. The house owl was out delivering that month's bill payments to their respective institutions.

"Like what you've done with the place," Tom said, holding up a small decorative pillow.

Hannah blushed. "Oh, well, I found a few things here and there. Just some homey touches is all."

Tom nodded. "Yes, yes. That is one of the many areas where you outshine me, my dear. I ran this inn like a finely-tuned watch, but it never really felt like home, not even to me."

Tom patted the space on the sofa next to him and Hannah sat. Once she was seated Tom pulled several scrolls of parchment from the inside pocket of his robes and laid them out on the table.

"Where's the writing desk gone?" Tom asked, peering around the dark room.

"Behind you," Hannah said, pulling her wand and summoning a bottle of ink and a quill. While she was at it, she also shot some sparks into the fireplace to brighten the room.

"What sort of quill you call this?!" Tom exclaimed, examining the billowy feather in his hand.

"It's a peacock quill. Darwin Blott gave me a half dozen in exchange for some pasties."

Tom shook his head. "You are figuring it all out my dear. You see? You see! Didn't I tell you?"

Hannah nodded, remembering the day at St. Mungos just two weeks before when Tom decided he could not wait another minute before retiring to his house by the sea. Hannah had not felt confident that she was ready to take full responsibility for the inn, but Tom thought otherwise.

"You are already learning the most important bits, and no thanks to me!" Tom said genially before dipping the billowy quill in some ink and signing his name to a long bit of parchment.

"What is all this?" Hannah asked, though she had a general idea.

"Documents," Tom said, signing his name to yet another one of the scrolls. "Title, insurance, bank account, utilities and so on. Here, you can get started," he finished; pushing the few bits of parchment he had already signed down the table towards her.

When she didn't make to start signing Tom leaned back creakily and looked at her. "What's wrong, love?"

Hannah frowned down at all the documents and forms. "It's just a lot. I don't know what I was expecting. It makes me feel like maybe, maybe I'm not ready for this."

Instead of looking disappointed Tom gave her a toothless smile and chuckled. "You're ready. I knew the day I fell down those ruddy stairs that you were ready. And look, you've handled everything expertly since I've been gone. Besides, you have to be ready! There's no one else."

Hannah swallowed hard. "Well, it was different before. I still had you there, for guidance…and liability," she finished quietly.

There was silence save for the crackling of the fire and Tom's slightly wheezy breath.

"You know, I started working here at 12 years old. I would bus tables and help with the cooking and the cleaning, but I never paid attention when it came to running the inn, not in all those summers while I was home from school did I bother learning the trade."

"How come?" Hannah asked, surprised by this admission.

Tom scratched his bald head. "Well, I fancied myself a great musician. I was going to be famous. I told my father that as soon as I graduated I'd be off to for a life of fortune and fame!" He let out a wheezy laugh and shook his head.

"What happened?"

"My father died, during the Christmas of my sixth year at Hogwarts. He was walking back to the Inn after a morning stroll and was struck by one of those muggle motorcars. Driver claimed to have hit a patch of ice. A muggle boy died as well. Anyhow, that cinched it. It was to me to run this ruddy place, whether I liked it or not."

Hannah felt tears welling up in her eyes. She had known that both of Tom's parents had died young from her grandmother, but knowing that he lost a parent the same age she had only made her feel closer to him.

"How did you do it?" she said, in almost a whisper. Again Tom grinned.

"Hannah, dear, you think too much sometimes. It's a pub. People are here to eat and drink. Keep them in food and ale, keep the rooms clean and don't kill yourself with work. And pay the bills. The rest will take care of itself." With that he pushed the stack of documents in front of her with finality.

Hannah wiped her eyes, took a deep breath and began to sign.

* * *

_Ok, so if you are wanting to read more about (my) Hannah's acquisition of the Leaky Cauldron, I write about it in my other story "Dumbledore's Army and the Casualties of War". That story goes a little more into depth of Tom's accident and how she ended up there in the first place. I knew when JK decided to feature some more information about the Leaky that I wanted to write about it being passed down to Hannah. Almost none of what is written above has been cemented in canon by Ms. Rowling, but she also hasn't contradicted it, so I stand by my story!_

_Thanks for reading!_


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